


Deliberation

by LilyAnson



Series: Of Monsters and Acceptance [1]
Category: Primeval
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Doubt, M/M, Mild Angst, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 05:35:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19222672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyAnson/pseuds/LilyAnson
Summary: Canon Divergent from Primeval S03 E06-Becker isn't sure what to make of Danny Quinn.  Rather, he knows exactly how he feels about the man, but that was before he really got to know him.  He finds that he might have been a bit hasty in his initial opinion but before he can really contemplate his new found emotions Christine Johnson shows up and complicates everything.





	Deliberation

Becker was fully prepared to dislike the man the moment he saw him. And to be fair, he did instantly dislike him. He did feel slightly justified in his feelings though. The first thing Quinn had done when he met the team was throw the team off the property where the anomaly was located. The second thing he had done was to arrest Connor. So yes, Becker was prepared to dislike the man immediately. Their next few meetings also didn’t really do much to help Quinn gain any favor. 

The next time Quinn ran into the team, and the first time Becker actually got to meet the man was when they had their hands full with a rampaging giganotosaurus. When he asked Jenny if he should arrest the man he was seriously hoping she would agree. He really wished they could do more considering how many lives could have been endangered. They’d gotten lucky with that helicopter stunt. 

When Quinn broke into the ARC Becker was sorely tempted to shoot him solely on general principle. His attitude and general disregard of authority or procedure could put a lot of people in danger. As it was his job to keep his people safe Becker wanted nothing more than to keep Quinn as far away from the team and the ARC as possible. However, that’s not what happened. After Quinn broke into the ARC they were trying to decide what to do with him when they realized they’d missed an anomaly alert. 

They’d had to contend with fungus creatures and Jenny had almost died. Well technically she had actually died, they’d just been able to revive her. He did have to admit that Quinn had been exceptionally helpful then if still a bit too impulsive. Then Lester had surprised them all by appointing Quinn as team lead. Perfect Becker thought. Just perfect. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about Quinn and now he was the team lead. Resigned to this new turn of events he made a mental note to research their newest member.

-

Closing the file Becker sighed dropped it on his desk. He leaned forward, rested his elbows on the desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. As far as competence and experience went Quinn was more than qualified. Still, the man was brash and impulsive. That kind of thing could get people killed in the field. It was Becker’s job to ensure the safety of the team. He had to find a way to be sure Quinn wouldn’t do anything that would intentionally place anyone on the team in danger.

With another sigh he finally sat upright once more. Snagging the folder he stood up and made his way over to the filing cabinets. Opening the top drawer he replaced the file. For a while he just stood there staring at the various files. Slowly he reached forward and trailed his fingers over the tops of the files, stopping occasionally when he ran across one belonging to someone who was either dead or missing. Nick Cutter, Stephen Hart, Tom Ryan… His hand faltered for a few seconds on that name. For a moment he considered pulling out Ryan’s folder and rereading it. 

In the end he decided against it. He already knew everything in it; had memorized every detail. Instead he merely shut the drawer, grabbed his jacket, and exited the office. He made sure to double check the office was locked before making his way down the hallway. As there wasn’t much food left in his apartment he knew he should probably pick up something to eat on his way home but he was too tired. He’d eventually decided against it figuring he needed sleep more than he needed to eat right now. Better just to go to bed, sleep, and deal with everything tomorrow. He knew he wouldn’t deal with it then either though. It was always the same thought process. Tomorrow. Only the elusive ‘tomorrow’ never came. He just kept postponing and it worked. Well, at least it did for now. If a time ever came when that no longer worked he’d find another way to deal with things then.

-

The next few days were mostly a blur. Mostly he spent his time double checking security was up to par, training the soldiers under his command, and filling out reports. Whenever he had any spare time he busied himself by practicing at the shooting range. He was down there practicing one day when Quinn walked in and found him. Becker tried to ignore him but it was difficult with the other man standing just behind him. Setting his jaw in annoyance at having his time here interrupted Becker lowered the gun and turned around.

“Something you need?” Becker asked.

“Nope,” Quinn answered with a shake his head.

“So you have nothing better to do than to come down here and watch me?”

Quinn shrugged. “It wasn’t my initial intention but I’m not going to complain.”

Becker frowned. Was Quinn flirting with him? Lowering his eyebrows he eyed the man he carefully tried to understand just what Quinn was saying. Before he could manage it Quinn raised his hands, palms out, and grinned.

“Okay, okay. Got it. No need to glare at me like that guv,” Quinn said laughingly.

Becker’s frown deepened. “I wasn’t glaring,” he huffed back, irritated.

“You were totally glaring,” Quinn disagreed. “It’s okay though. You’re actually kind of cute when you’re annoyed.”

“I _am not_ annoyed,” Becker disagreed. Quinn merely raised an eyebrow and continued smiling that annoyingly cocky grin of his. “Okay, fine,” he relented. “You do annoy me. Happy now?”

“Mm,” Quinn hummed noncommittally. “Depends.”

“On?”

“On whether or not you’ll have dinner with me.”

Becker froze, completely unprepared for that. It took him a while before he was able to form a response. “What?” he asked incredulously.

Surprisingly Quinn actually laughed. “Sorry mate. It’s just, you should have seen the look on your face. Look, I don’t mean to make things awkward or anything. If you’re not interested just say so and that’ll be it. I just figured it was worth a shot. If you change your mind, though, you know where to find me,” Quinn finished. 

Becker stood completely stunned as Quinn turned and walked away without another word. 

-

It had been two days since Quinn’s proposition and Becker was still no closer to knowing how he felt about it. It did serve one purpose though. Instead of viewing Quinn as a potential problem Becker actually took the time to look at him as just a person. When Danny wasn’t being completely annoying and exasperating he was actually kind of nice to be around. He had an odd sense of humor that actually complemented Becker’s own dry humor well. There was also a kind of ease in the way he’d slid almost effortlessly into their little group. Becker also spent time thinking back on the things they’d been through together. 

While he’d been out looking for Sir Richard with Abby and Jenny, Quinn had brought them flamethrowers. Granted they hadn’t been able to use them but no one had known that at the time. When they discovered they had to find a way to take the fungus creature back to the ARC Quinn had risked himself to lead it to the truck so they could transport it. Also, when Jenny had gotten trapped in the control room with the creature Quinn had once again risked himself to protect her. He hadn’t thought twice about trying to save Jenny’s life even after they knew she’d been infected with the fungus and had held her hand while they revived her.

There had been relatively few call outs lately but the few they did have, had gone relatively smoothly. For the most part everything was fairly calm. While it did make him a bit antsy it was also nice. Consequently it also left him plenty of time to ponder the “Danny” question. It all came down to this: could he or not handle dating someone? With this job that was a risky proposal. 

On the plus side he wouldn’t have to make up excuses any time there was a call out and he knew Quinn could take care of himself. On the other hand would he be able to handle dating someone on the team? Could Quinn? Shaking his head Becker almost rolled his eyes. Quinn was already more than willing to place himself in danger for everyone on the team. Sometimes Becker wished Quinn would make more professional decisions but he really wasn’t one to talk. He did the same thing himself. The difference was he was part of the security detail, that was his job. Okay, so maybe he should give it a chance and just see where things went he finally decided.

-

It took twenty minutes and a lot of walking through various areas in the ARC before he finally found Danny practicing in the shooting range. 

“Quinn!” Becker called. The ex cop paused and glanced back over his shoulder. “Pick you up at seven tomorrow. Just be ready on time, I hate being late or having to wait.”

Quinn flashed him one of his trademark smirks and Becker had to fight not to roll his eyes at the sight of it. Whatever, he thought. Too late to back out of it now. Besides, it was just one date. If things didn’t go well he would only have to suffer through a few hours at most. With a nod of his own Becker turned on his heels and left the shooting range.

-  
…  
-

Eyes still closed Becker frowned at the soft beeping sound. It wasn’t the sound that confused him though. Rather, it was the fact that his watch’s alarm was what had woken him instead of his normal alarm clock. He only set the alarm on his watch just in case he somehow forgot to set his normal alarm. Still frowning he finally opened his eyes and reached over to silence his watch. Finally Becker’s mind came fully online and he found himself smiling. He’d been distracted when he came home last night. For the first time since moving in he’d finally brought someone back to his flat.

_After dinner neither he nor Danny was ready to call it a night. They’d ended up back at Becker’s apartment talking for several hours. Before either of them knew how it happened it was after two in the morning. Knowing he would have to get sleep soon Becker tried to figure out how to proceed. Was Danny expecting to stay over tonight? Should Becker offer?_

_“Well, I suppose I should be going,” Danny finally said._

_Becker looked at him surprised and Danny laughed._

_“Did you think I was expecting to stay over? On the first date?”_

_Becker found he couldn’t answer. Actually, yes, yes he did think that._

_Danny shook his head. “You really don’t know me, do you?”_

_Becker frowned. Perhaps he didn’t. Everything he knew about Danny screamed that the other would take advantage of a situation._

_“I’ve never been one to rush a good thing,” Danny stated with a shrug. “I’m good with waiting. See you at work tomorrow, yeah?”_

Becker shook his head. Danny never failed to surprised him. 

-

Days passed and Becker was still no closer to understanding the other man. They’d gone out a few more times before Becker started making excuses. Danny was getting too close too fast. There was no way he could continue a relationship with the man and maintain the level of neutrality needed to do his job. He expected Danny to be angry or at least a little upset but there was nothing more than a few odd looks here and there. Everything seemed like it would be okay until the terror birds. 

.

“Bang,” Becker called out. 

Smiling Danny slowed and finally stopped.

“Twenty four seconds. Congratulations, that’s three seconds longer than last time.”

Smiling in spite of himself Becker made a note to check the infrared systems and to secure all ventilation systems. Yes they would have to check in with Lester later but for now it was just them. Even though he wasn’t ready for anything serious it was times like this where he could at least pretend. Doing his best not to grin at the thought they both made their way up to Lester’s office. He watched as Lester read over the report and notes for improvements.

“I’m satisfied there is no reasonable breach of security,” Becker told him.

“Excellent,” Lester huffed. “A new definition of ‘serious’. You let him abseil down the ventilation shaft.”

“Yes sir,” Becker acknowledged.

“That surveillance camera is a waste of time by the way,” Danny added.

Becker frowned. “What camera?” 

“The one on the shaft covering the corridor,” Danny informed him.

“There is no camera there,” Becker disagreed. For a few seconds they merely stared at each other. Everything seemed to click into place for the both of them at the same time.

“Am I missing something?” Lest asked still confused.

In an instant the both of them were moving. They inspected the items on the desk first despite Lester’s confused protests. If they really were being watched they there wasn’t time to waste. When they found nothing in the items on the desks they shared another brief look. 

“Vents,” Becker prompted. Not finding anything he turned to face Danny.

“Anything?” Danny asked, removing the cover from his vent.

“Clear,” Becker told him. “You?”

Danny dropped the cover and pulled out a small surveillance device. “Smile boys, we’re on TV.” 

Damn. If Christine was watching them then that meant… “She’s seen it then,” Becker said, more to himself then anyone.

“Seen what?” Danny asked.

Becker raised his head and met Danny’s eyes. “The artifact.”

“We have to get them out,” Danny announced.

“You think?” Becker asked, just barely managing not to roll his eyes. 

The pair rushed out of the room and down the ARC’s hallways, Becker heading directly towards the armory while Danny took off to inform Connor. He was just going to have to hope that they were in time to get the others and the artifact out of the ARC before Christine and her people arrived. As he reached the armory he didn’t slow down until he’d made it to the weapon’s locker. 

Punching in his code he unlocked the weapons locker. Arming himself he carefully blanked his mind. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted. He began methodically thinking through the things that needed to be done. By now Danny should have had enough time to alert the others and get them moving. Hopefully they would be able to get out in time. He needed to check the security monitors to know if they were still safe or not.

\---

“How’s it going?” Abby asked as she walked over and leaned her elbows on the table where Connor was studying the artifact.

“Uh, we’ve just opened the artifact,” Connor told her. Before he could say anything more Danny rushed in calling his name.

“Connor!”

“Yo,” Connor called back.

“They’ve seen it.”

“Who’s seen what?”

“Johnson, she’s knows we’ve got the artifact. We’ve got five minutes,” Danny said before rushing down the stairs to meet up with the rest of them.

“Get my bag,” Connor told Sarah.

\---

“Quinn stop!” Becker called out as he rushed towards the group. Thankfully they were all present and Connor was carrying the artifact. Ahead of him the others stopped running and turned back to face him. “She’s here. All the exits are covered.”

Glancing around Becker knew they didn’t have time to go anywhere else. They needed to get out of sight and figure out what they were going to do while they still had time. Opening the nearest door he ushered the others inside. Abby, Connor, and Sarah moved to the far wall and crouched down behind some tables. Becker and Danny did the same, positioning themselves in front of the other three. 

“I know one exit she hasn’t got covered,” Danny stated.

Becker didn’t even give it a second thought. If Danny said he knew of a way to get the team out of the building then Becker wasn’t going to question it. He knew Danny well enough that his word was good enough. There were only a handful of people he would take at their word, especially when it came to the team’s safety. Danny had proven himself worthy of that trust. Becker gave one sharp nod.

“Lester is looking for a safe place,” Becker said. “Whatever you do, don’t break cover, we’ll find you when it’s clear.” 

Standing, he moved to the door and checked that the coast was clear. When he was sure he nodded to the others. Danny stood and grabbed Connor’s arm ushering him forward before snagging Abby next and then Sarah. As they approached the door Danny followed closely behind bringing up the rear. Exiting the room Becker turned to the left to protect their backs as they turned to the right and rushed down the rest of the hallway. 

As soon as he was sure they were safe Becker steeled himself. If they were going to have a chance to escape they’d need a distraction. His team needed him. They were depending on him. He couldn’t let them down. With a deep breath his thoughts, and nerves, finally settled. This was his job. This was the sole purpose he was here to accomplish. This was his orders from his commanding officer. He needed to do this. 

_“Your job is to stop them from getting themselves killed,” Lester had told him._

Right, Becker thought to himself. Stop them from getting themselves killed. That he could do. If it meant his death then so be it. He’d been in worse situations before. That thought actually made him smile. Yes, he had been in worse situations. No, Christine wouldn’t kill him. At least, not out right. If she wanted him dead she’d do it all kinds of sideways. He’d probably see that coming from a kilometer away. Without a second thought he rushed towards the main room of the ARC.

.

“Stop there! Drop your weapons!” Becker announced.

The guard nearest eyed him carefully. “No sir, you drop yours.” 

The other soldier took the time to aim his gun directly at him. Well, Becker thought, it’s been fun but everything has to end sometime. 

“We really don’t want to kill you, sir.”

“Put your weapon down, Becker, and surrender the artifact.”

Christine, his mind told him. Barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes he shook that thought away. “With respect, I don’t take orders from you,” he told her.

“You do now,” she informed him. 

Holding up a piece of paper she grinned at him. Becker almost couldn’t resist the urge to growl at her. This was the woman that had endangered his charges. This woman was definitely _not_ his commanding officer; as such he had no reason to obey her. Still, he had to play along for now to ensure that his team would be safe. A change in command he could understand. This wasn’t a change in command. This was a hostile takeover. _That_ he couldn’t accept. His job was to protect the team. That included Lester and meant he had to do whatever was necessary to ‘protect’ them. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, James Lester has been relieved of his duties. Please continue working normally and this transition will run smoothly.

Becker did his best to keep his face as neutral as possible. In order to pull this off he couldn’t let her suspect anything. After addressing the room she turned to face him. Becker unconsciously straightened his ‘at ease’ stance as she approached.

“You do realize this isn’t personal Captain? It’s purely a question of national security.”

“Of course ma’am,” he replied politely.

“I’ve looked at your file Becker. You’re a good soldier. I am your commanding officer now.”

Becker remained silent. 

“I assume there is no conflict of loyalties?”

“None at all.” _I know exactly where my loyalties lie._

“Find me the artifact and you’re looking at a very rapid promotion,” she told him with a smirk.

“I’ll do my best.”

.

A loud blaring instantly sounded and Becker could have groaned. This was something they definitely _did not_ need right now. Oh well, it couldn’t be helped. Anomalies didn’t care about petty things such as convenient timing. Christine’s soldiers glanced at each other, looking completely confused and Becker struggled not to roll his eyes. “It’s an anomaly,” he announced.

“Does Quinn have access to a detector?” Christine asked.

“No,” Becker told her. “There’s no way he can know about the anomaly.”

“Then my men can cover it. You stay here,” she ordered.

Gritting his teeth, Becker refused to answer. This woman was not his commanding officer and he hated that he had to even pretend to take orders from her. No matter what she claimed this wasn’t a transition in command it was a hostile takeover. Yes, he knew exactly where his loyalties lie; completely and utterly with his team. 

.

“Captain Becker,” came Christine’s cool voice from somewhere behind him.

Becker had been secretly monitoring the away team in hopes of taking his mind off everything if only for a little while. When he heard that they had run into the ARC team at the anomaly site he groaned internally. Recently the away team had gone radio silent. No one knew what had happened to them. Becker was almost afraid to contemplate why. Taking a deep breath he exhaled and composed himself before turning around to face her. Instead of answering verbally he merely cocked an eyebrow and waited. She motioned for him to follow her, turned, and began walking away. 

“Alright, what’s happened? Where is the artifact?” she questioned as they walked down the ramp that led them down to ops.

He didn’t bother to question why she might be asking him. People like her didn’t get where they were by trusting other people. Of course she’d have been spying on him. “Let me handle this,” he told her. “I know how Quinn’s mind works.”

“Fine, do it,” she consented. 

“Shouldn’t we report this to the Minister?” he asked. “Lester always kept him informed on operational decisions.”

“Let me worry about the Minister,” she argued. 

As stealthily as possible Becker slipped a hand into his pocket and pressed record on his mobile. 

“He’ll find out what I choose to tell him.”

“With respect, ma’am, if he discovers he’s not being fully informed-. 

“The Minister is an imbecile. He can barely blow his own nose. Do you really think I’m going to let a Whitehall glove puppet with the IQ of a root vegetable tell me how to do my job? Now find Quinn for me.”

As they were preparing to leave he tried to ensure that at least of few of his own soldiers could be included in this detail but was told they wouldn’t be needed. So it would just be him with a group of Christine’s soldiers heading out to an anomaly where another unit had mysteriously disappeared. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t cause at least a little anxiety. None the least of which was because anything could take out an entire group of trained soldiers would have no problems killing the ARC team as well.

In all honestly he hadn’t expected the away team to come across the others from the ARC team but looking back on things he realized he should have. Of course the anomaly would open up right next to their safe house. That was just their luck. Still, he couldn’t afford to break cover. He needed to pretend for a little while longer. He just hoped they would all understand when everything was all over… Especially Danny.

.

When they got to the site Becker heard the sound of some sort of creature calling out in the distance. He didn’t wait for the others. Instead he rushed off in the direction of the sounds, hoping he would be in time. If he were lucky at least some of the team would be alive. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he lost anyone on the ARC team. The soldiers were somehow different. They knew what might happen when they’d enlisted. It didn’t mean it wouldn’t still hurt but the ARC team were civilians. They hadn’t signed up to risk their lives like the soldiers had. 

He stopped dead in his tracks and dropped to the ground as he watched several ostrich like birds running into a bunker type of building. Several seconds later the creature calls stopped sounding. Slowly he stood and carefully listened for anything. He sagged in relief when he realized he could hear the voices of the ARC team. Somehow, in spite of everything, they all seemed to have survived. When he watched them walk out of the bunker type building he knew that was all the time he was going to get for now. Later he could check on them and reassure himself they were all right. For now he had to maintain his cover. He waited until they were all outside of the bunker, stepped forward, and aimed his gun in their direction.

“You’re all under arrest,” he stated coolly.

The group stared at him in disbelief. Becker kept his mask firmly in place. _Afterwards,_ he reminded himself. For now he had to do everything he could to make sure they all stayed safe, even if they hated him for it later.

“Oh, you've got to be joking,” Danny replied in disbelief. 

Finally the other soldiers caught up and aimed their guns at the group. _Please don’t let any of them do anything stupid,_ Becker thought. He knew he wouldn’t shoot them but he also knew none of the others would hesitate. He spoke quickly in an effort to maintain control of the situation. “My orders are to take you back to the ARC. I’m authorised to use deadly force if I have to.”

“You’re Johnson’s man now?” Connor asked.

Though the look of betrayal in Connor’s eyes hurt, Becker couldn’t allow himself to think about that now. _Afterwards,_ he reminded himself again. “I’m just following orders.”

“Like a good little soldier boy,” Danny spat out. 

Unlike Connor, the only emotion he could see in Danny’s eyes was anger. He did his best to ignore that too for now. “Where’s the artifact?” he asked.

.

The ride back was silent. At least it was in the vehicle Becker occupied. They couldn’t all fit into one vehicle so Becker chose to ride in the same one as Danny and Sarah. In an effort for everything to go as smoothly as possible Becker had insisted Connor and Abby be taken back in the same car. He knew better than to try and separate those two. It would only cause more issues and he had enough to deal with already. He was glad when the other soldiers didn’t argue with the decision too much. While the soldiers were distracted with getting the others situated into the right vehicles Becker took the time to send a quick text.

For her part Sarah remained staring out of the side window, refusing to meet his eyes or even look at him. Danny, on the other hand, refused to look away and glared at him then entire ride back to the ARC. Becker remained silent, hoping against hope that Danny would be able to find a way to forgive him for this necessary deception. Maybe he would but maybe not. Even if the answer was no, then at least he knew he’d done everything to protect them all and he could live with that. He really couldn’t let himself think about any of that right now. Whatever was going to happen would happen and no amount of worrying was going to change that. For now he needed to focus on the job at hand; protecting his team.

.

Becker could feel Danny’s eyes boring into his back as he walked forward and laid the artifact down on the desk. It took all of his self control to keep from breaking then and there and telling Danny the truth. Soon enough this would all be over, one way or another.

“Excellent work Captain.”

“Very kind madam,” Becker answered reflexively.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Danny scoffed.

“I’d have a little more respect if I were you Quinn. You’re looking at a serious charge of stealing government property.”

Before anyone could say another word Lester strode into the office.

“Hello Christine.”

“You’re not authorized to enter this facility James,” Christine sneered.

“I think you’re sitting in my chair,” Lester replied amiably.

“Captain, would you escort this troublesome man from the building?” Christine asked without even glancing towards him.

“I’m afraid I can't do that ma’am,” Becker told her.

“What?” Christine questioned eyeing him confused. 

Becker didn’t answer. Instead he pulled out his mobile and called up a specific recording he’d made earlier that day. Pressing play he laid the mobile on the desk, took a step back, and adopted a parade rest stance as it played.

_“The Minister is an imbecile. He can barely blow his own nose. Do you really think I’m going to let a Whitehall glove puppet with the IQ of a root vegetable tell me how to do my job?”_

By the time the recording finished Christine was glaring at them, outraged.

“Yes, Captain Becker recorded it and I sent a copy to Whitehall. Oh that reminds me, the Minister wants to see you. Actually he did seem a little upset. Christine, I did tell you it wasn’t over.”

“No James, I assure you it’s not.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation at hand Becker still had to suppress the urge to smile. The urge grew when Danny began whistling almost innocently. Standing, Christine slowly walked forward until she was face to face with Lester. From the corner of his eyes Becker watched the others also struggling not to give into their own amusement. The girls failed and had to hide the small snickers that managed to escape. As soon as Christine left the office Sarah rushed forward and kissed Becker on his cheek.

“You are my hero,” she informed him before bouncing out of the room.

“And mine,” Lester announced. “Though don’t expect any kisses from me,” he continued before sitting down at his desk. “Well, haven’t you all got work to do?” he asked after a few seconds.

“Sorry mate,” Danny apologized as he turned to face Becker. “I was out of order.”

This time he couldn’t suppress the grin. “No problem,” he assured Danny. “Just don’t call me soldier boy again.”

“Sorry,” Danny apologized again with his own grin.

Together they left the office and made their way down to the ops center. They were joined shortly by Abby and Connor. All of them watched as Christine was led from the building by ARC troops. Becker silently watched as the others laughed and talked animatedly about everything they’d been through. Suddenly Danny turned towards him and they made eye contact. Danny gave Becker his trademark smirk and nodded to the balcony overlooking the ops area. Turning he noticed Lester had stepped out onto the balcony and was looking down at all of them. The rest of the group finally noticed. It wasn’t long before almost everyone present began cheering and clapping. 

Catching Danny’s eye again Becker felt his own smile softening. Later he would ask what happened and how they’d survived but for now it was enough that they were all alive. As he continued to watch Danny he realized now that he couldn’t afford to wait. Any day could be their last; especially in this job. Life was too short. Team member or not, if he didn’t take this opportunity he might never get the chance again. He couldn’t let that happen. He made up his mind to talk to Danny at the first possible moment.

-  
.  
-

Most of the others had already left the ARC. Connor and Abby had headed home already. Sarah had gone out to some club or another. Lester was in his office doing paperwork, of all things. Like that couldn’t wait after the day they’d had, Becker thought wryly, mentally rolling his eyes. He managed to catch up with Danny before the other had a chance to leave. Danny glanced up and Becker momentarily forgot how to speak.

“Something you needed?” Danny asked after several seconds of silence.

“I just… What I meant to say was… Would you… I mean…” 

Danny grinned. “You trying to ask me out? Cause I have to say, if you are then you’re doing that great of job so far, soldier boy.”

Becker bristled at the nickname.

“Ease up there mate. Only joking. So, you wanna go grab something to eat or something? We can continue this conversation on the way.” There was the briefest hesitation and had Becker not known Danny so well he might have missed it. “That is, if you like,” Danny finished sounding almost indifferent.

Becker knew better. There was an odd tension in Danny’s muscles and just the smallest hint of doubt on his face. Still, he covered it well. Becker was suitably impressed. Finally Becker smiled back at Danny. “Works for me,” Becker told him. Turning to leave he stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. “And just so you know, you’re buying,” he teased before finally leaving.


End file.
